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SHALER TOWNSHIP (KDKA) — Every Friday night in the fall, about 120,000 of us settle in for high school football in western Pennsylvania.

Vincenzio Battaglia is a 15-year-old junior at Vincentian Academy where he played almost every position last year, but wide receiver is his favorite.

“I like to make plays, score touchdowns, definitely a lot of fun,” said Vincenzio.

But in late July came word Vincentian was shutting down its football program for safety reasons due to a lack of players. So Vincenzio thought about the Shaler Titans. He lives in the Shaler Area School District.

“I have many friends who play for the Shaler team,” he said.

So, he decided to apply to the WPIAL. On Twitter, Vincenzio says he and his family tried for three months to find someplace where he could play football, but the WPIAL said no.

“To be eligible to participate in interscholastic athletics you have to be enrolled and in full-time attendance,” said WPIAL Executive Director Tim O’Malley.

I would really appreciate if anyone would take the time to read this. I am just extremely dissapointed about this football season pic.twitter.com/PcKC5gDAjA

— Vincenzo Battaglia (@cenzo_tags) October 20, 2017

Since charter school and cyber students can play for teams in their home districts, the Battaglias feel the same should be allowed for Vincentian students.

“By rule that is not permitted,” said O’Malley.

For academic reasons, the Battaglia family want to keep Vincenzio at Vincentian.

“You can’t be attendance at one school and play in another,” O’Malley said.

“I was extremely disappointed I wasn’t given the chance to play,” said Vincenzio.

Other Vincentian players transferred to other schools to play football. But that’s also against WPIAL rules, and they were declared ineligible. O’Malley says, without the rule, schools could openly recruit and stockpile football talent.

“The rule is necessary to maintain a level playing field,” he said.

For Vincenzo, it makes Friday nights difficult.

“It is very tough. I mean every Friday, I have to see those highlights of everyone playing, and I’ve gone to a few games and I enjoy watching the high school games, but it’s very difficult for me to be on the sidelines when I want to be on the field,” said Vincenzio.

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SHALER TOWNSHIP (KDKA) — Allegheny County Police say a motorcyclist was killed Friday evening after failing to pull over during a traffic stop in Shaler Township.

The crash happened around 6:30 p.m. along Babcock Boulevard, near the intersection with Schaefer Road.

According to Allegheny County Police, a Shaler Township Police officer was trying to get the motorcyclist to pull over for a traffic stop, but the cyclist took off. Witnesses say they saw the motorcyclist going at speeds of 80 miles an hour or more.

“The motorcyclist fled the officer at a high rate of speed. Ultimately, collided with another motorist, sending the motorcyclist from the motorcycle, onto the roadway. Ultimately, he died from the wounds he suffered in that collision,” said Allegheny County Police Lt. Andrew Shurman.

The motorcycle then collided with another vehicle, and the rider was thrown onto the road.

“I saw the very last glimpse of it,” said witness Leah LeBrew, of Shaler Township. “As the motorcyclist was heading down this direction, that corner, he flipped off his motorcycle and skidded all the way down. As soon as I got out of the car, he was already on the ground, unconscious, or, most likely, dead.”

(Photo Credit: KDKA Photojournalist Bryce Lutz)

Officials pronounced the motorcyclist dead at the scene. His identity is not yet being released, and police say he was not wearing a helmet.

No other injuries were reported, but the scene left witnesses shaken.

“This is more something you see on television rather than experiencing it firsthand. Absolutely,” said LeBrew.

Officers and the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office remained at the scene for several hours, keeping the road shut down well into the overnight hours of Friday into Saturday. Allegheny County homicide detectives are investigating.

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SHALER TOWNSHIP (KDKA) — Kelly Croley is job hunting, something she never expected she’d be doing during the holiday season. Croley has a degree in criminal justice.

Recently, she’s been both an Uber and Lyft driver. She likes the idea of earning money on her own schedule, while at the same time, driving her own car.

Croley was driving for Lyft when she arranged to pick up a passenger on Wednesday afternoon.

In the living room of her home in Shaler Township, she said, “This guy is standing there. He flags me down. He said, ‘Are you Kelly?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ He said, ‘I’m Devon.’”

Now, Croley isn’t so sure she wants to continue working for the ride-hailing companies because of what she experienced.

After driving to Beleau Street to pick up Devon, it seems that he had other ideas. At gunpoint, he stole all the money she was carrying. She said it amounted to $340.

“He opened my coat, unzipped my hoodie, put his hand down my shirt and was feeling around until he found it,” Croley said. “He found it, grabbed it — and he had the gun on me the whole time obviously — and then he got out of the car.”

To make matters worse, she said, the robbery happened in broad daylight, around 4 p.m. Wednesday, and she said there were people close-by, watching it all unfold.

“They were standing there watching, they were facing me on all sides of the vehicle,” Croley told KDKA-TV’s Ralph Iannotti. “So I think they had to have known what was going on, and I don’t know if they were armed or not.”

Instead of going to the police immediately to report she’d been robbed, she was so shaken she said, she went home and filed a report Thursday morning. She said neither Uber or Lyft allow drivers like her to carry defensive weapons, including pepper spray and stun guns.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do because my money is gone for Christmas, and my daughter still believes in the magic of everything Christmas,” Croley said.

She described the robber as black, about 5-feet-6-inches tall – likely in his late 50s.

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SHALER TOWNSHIP (KDKA) — Two people were taken to the hospital after a vehicle plowed into the Subway restaurant in Shaler Township early Wednesday afternoon.

The accident happened shortly before noon in the 1700 block of Mt. Royal Boulevard.

A restaurant employee tells KDKA that the woman who was driving the SUV accidentally hit the gas pedal instead of the brake, and the vehicle crashed right into the business.

(Viewer Photo)

The woman was taken by ambulance to a local hospital to be checked out. Her husband was reportedly in the vehicle with her.

A customer inside the restaurant was briefly pinned to a wall by the SUV. That person was freed and also taken to the hospital, but reportedly only suffered some minor injuries.

An employee pushed one of their co-workers out of the way so they would not be hurt.

“Me and Sarah, a co-worker, were in the back prep area, we were getting ready to prep some more bread, stock up our lunch meat and stuff, and we just hear this loud rumbling, and I was like, ‘Is that the speakers?’ said employee Charles Lutz. “Next thing you know, I cover my ears and I saw in the corner of my eye, the wall coming towards us. I pushed her out of the way and the prep table pinned me against the wall for like 30 seconds.”

(Photo Credit: KDKA Photojournalist Rob Hopson)

Lutz says just 10 minutes earlier some customers were sitting near the front window of the restaurant.

“We’re glad there was no lunch rush,” he said. “We actually had two teachers [from the nearby school], but they had left like 10 minutes before it happened. So, by the grace of God, I’m safe, my co-worker’s safe and everybody’s alive.”

There’s no word yet on how much damage was done, but a building inspector was called to the scene.

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SHALER TOWNSHIP (KDKA) — One person has been hospitalized after a pickup truck crashed over a hillside Wednesday afternoon in Shaler Township.

The accident happened around 5:15 p.m. on Spencer Lane Ext. near Spencer Woods Drive.

Police said the Toyota Tundra was traveling down a steep incline on Spencer Lane Extension at a high rate of speed when the driver, believed to be in around 70-years-old, apparently lost control, struck a small hill, a pole, and a cement barrier.

It then went airborne before rolling down the steep embankment and crashing in a wooded area.

This is what's left of Toyota Tundra truck that went airborne and down a hillside in Shaler Twp.
Driver hospitalized pic.twitter.com/e1XkPRTYs8

— Ralph Iannotti (@IannottiRalph) January 31, 2018

Moments before the wreck, police said they were notified about a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed on Spencer Lane Extension.

Neighbors said it was a lucky there were no people near the spot where the wreck occurred, especially since it’s used as a school bus spot for dozens of children who live in this residential area.

“Fortunately, no one was hurt walking. The neighbors always walk their dogs, their kids, or just taking a walk around the neighborhood and the cul-de-sac. And, we always walk down to the end, and kids get off the school bus here, so it was very fortunate the timing of this, that nobody was hurt,” neighbor Caroline Pantone said.

Weather did not appear to be factor in the accident. Police indicated the driver may have suffered a medical condition, which caused him to lose control and careen down the hill.

He was conscious when he was pulled from the wreck, and was transported to Allegheny General Hospital.

There were no skid marks on the road, which would have indicated the driver applied his brakes.

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SHALER TOWNSHIP (KDKA) — If you drive along busy, accident-prone Route 8, you should slow down; police are cracking down on speeders and aggressive drivers.

It took one officer just minutes to find a speeder Thursday. What else are they looking for?

“We’re targeting speeding,” Shaler Police Lt. Sean Frank said. “We have several red lights at our intersections, so we’ll be watching the red lights. Following too closely, passing without using signals…”

Area police departments, like Shaler, have gotten thousands of dollars in grant money for a statewide aggressive driving enforcement program. Route 8, which runs through five counties, is high on the list.

If you’ve driven along Route 8, you know it’s easy to get that speed up as much as 20 to 25 miles over the speed limit.

Last June, an ice cream truck overturned and tumbled into a creek. Last December, a motorcyclist was zig-zagging through traffic on Route 8 and ended up pinned under an SUV.

“Everybody’s in a hurry to get somewhere, and we just want to try to slow that down a little bit and make an impact,” Frank said.

Over the next few weeks, if you don’t slow down along Route 8, you just might get pulled over and get a ticket.

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SHALER TOWNSHIP (KDKA) — The death of a Shaler Township man, who died from an infection last fall, has now been ruled a homicide.

Christopher Durkin was 37-years-old when he was found dead inside a home in Shaler back in November 2017.

(Source: Facebook)

According to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office, Durkin died of sepsis, but now his death has been ruled a homicide.

That’s becasue he had been shot in the stomach in Pittsburgh on Rhine Street last August, and possibly died from an infection caused the gunshot wound.

On his Facebook page following the shooting, a friend wrote: “I told you that God gave you a second chance after you got shot. I’m sad to see that you’re never going to find out what that was.”

In 2016, Durkin was arrested and placed in the Allegheny County Jail for allegedly trying to sell illegal pills in Pittsburgh traffic court.

Deputies say Durkin was in court to face charges for driving with a suspended license, but then tried to sell Suboxone, a pill used to treat opioid addiction.

With this new information, Pittsburgh Police detectives are investigating the case and will determine if homicide charges will be filed. At the time of the shooting, police were still looking for a suspect.

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SHALER TOWNSHIP (KDKA) — A “shelter in place” order has been lifted in Shaler Township, but police say they are still looking for two suspects – one possibly wounded by an arrow – after a home invasion.

The incident was first reported around 8 p.m. on Crest Lane.

According to Shaler Police, the homeowner told them that the suspects got in through his back door, which was unlocked. He said he didn’t recognize or know them.

They are described as being in their 30s, one was white and the other was black. One may have been wearing a hooded sweatshirt and the other a red bandana.

(Photo Credit: KDKA)

Police say the homeowner went after the suspects with his bow and arrow.

“He grabbed his bow and arrow, which he’s proficient with, and he said he fired three shots down the hallway, doesn’t think he struck them at that point, pursued them to the kitchen and fired one more arrow in their direction, thinks he may have struck the arm of one of the suspects, but he’s not really sure,” said Shaler Police Lt. Sean Frank. “There is evidence that the bow and arrows were used in the house.”

#BREAKING: @PoliceShaler are on scene of a reported home invasion & they’re looking for two suspects. Initial reports say a bow and arrow was used in this incident in some way. I’m live at 10 on @PittsburghsCW. @kdka #KDKA

— Amy Wadas (@AmyWadas) May 19, 2018

The suspects got away through the back door.

Police ordered people living in the neighborhood to shelter-in-place, and then brought in dogs to search the area of Crest Lane, Forliview Road, Tartline Drive and Sandy Drive, but didn’t find anyone or anything.

That order was then lifted.

The victim is not injured in any way. He was they only one home at the time of the incident.

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SHALER (KDKA) — Firefighters and paramedics rescued a man who fell over a hillside in Shaler on Sunday afternoon.

It happened shortly after 3 p.m. in the 500 block of Kimble Drive.

(Photo Credit: KDKA Photojournalist Chris Kunicki)

According to initial reports, the man fell about 15 to 20 feet while doing some yardwork.

“It seems like he slipped at the top, probably dumping some grass, and ended up at the bottom,” Tim Phillips, chief of the Elfinwild Fire Company, said.

Firefighters were called to the scene to provide assistance and additional equipment needed to get the man back up the hill.

The man was rescued around 4 p.m. and transported from the scene in an ambulance.

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SHALER TOWNSHIP (KDKA) — A woman is dead and three firefighters were injured in a house fire in Shaler Township on Monday night.

The first reports of the fire came in just before 9 p.m. when crews were called to the 900 block of Middle Road for reports of smoke showing from the home.

(Photo Credit: KDKA)

When crews first arrived, they had some trouble getting into the house.

“There were some difficulties accessing the structure itself due to clutter, so there were some difficulties gaining access into the building in multiple locations,” said Shaler Villa Volunteer Fire Company Chief Anthony Ferderbar.

KDKA’s Rick Dayton Reports:

Once inside, officials say the victim was found on the first floor.

“They found the victim inside, removed the victim to the outside and was later discovered the victim had deceased,” said Allegheny County Emergency Services Asst. Chief Steve Imbarlina.

The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office identified the victim as Dyann Carroll, 50.

Three firefighters suffered minor injuries while battling the blaze, but they were not hospitalized.

“During the course of actions, there were multiple firefighters that did have minor injuries. They were treated on scene they were not transported due to cuts from glass,” said Chief Ferderbar.

Two cats were rescued from the home. Crews were trying to find shelter for them.

The Allegheny County Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire.

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SHALER TOWNSHIP (KDKA) — All summer, police departments across America have been upping the ante with their own “lip sync challenge” videos.

But one local department says lip syncs are an outgoing trend.

Instead, it’s all about synchronized diving.

The Shaler Township Police Department put together a video of themselves doing just that.

(Source: Shaler Township/YouTube)

It’s a way to promote the township’s “Last Splash” pool party.

They jumped in, in full uniform, even if not everyone did so voluntarily.

To watch the full video, click here:

If you want to make a splash with Shaler Police, the pool party is set for Saturday at 6 p.m. at Kiwanis Park’s Crawford Pool.

For more information, visit their Facebook page here.

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SHALER TOWNSHIP (KDKA) — Route 8 in Shaler Township has reopened after a crash Friday evening.

Shaler Township Police shut down Route 8 between Glenshaw Crossing and Butler Plank Road around 6:30 p.m. due to a car crash.

According to police, one person was seriously injured and four people suffered minor injuries. All five people were transported to the hospital.

Route 8 was closed for several hours while Allegheny County Police and Shaler Police conducted an investigation. The road reopened around 10 p.m.

Stay With KDKA.com For More Details

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UPDATE: Sept. 4, 2018–

Police say Frederick Check’s body was found in Madison Township, Armstrong County, over Labor Day weekend. His cause of death has not been released, but police say they don’t suspect foul play.

SHALER TOWNSHIP (KDKA) — Police are searching for a missing man in Shaler Township.

According to police, 71-year-old Frederick Check was last seen around 2:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 17 at his home on Fall Run Road in Glenshaw.

(Photo Credit: Shaler Township Police)

Check drives a 2004 Hyundai Accent with a Pennsylvania license plate reading JJS-0427.

(Photo Credit: Shaler Township Police)

Police say Check suffers from depression and other unspecified medical conditions.

His family has not been able to reach Check via cell phone.

Check also has family in Valencia and Freeport, and he has been known to travel through Kittanning.

Anyone who sees Check or has information on his whereabouts is asked to contact Shaler Township Police by calling (412) 473-3056.

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UPDATE: Sept. 4, 2018–

Police say Frederick Check’s body was found in Madison Township, Armstrong County, over Labor Day weekend. His cause of death has not been released, but police say they don’t suspect foul play.

SHALER TOWNSHIP (KDKA) — Police are searching for a missing man in Shaler Township.

According to police, 71-year-old Frederick Check was last seen around 2:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 17 at his home on Fall Run Road in Glenshaw.

(Photo Credit: Shaler Township Police)

Check drives a 2004 Hyundai Accent with a Pennsylvania license plate reading JJS-0427.

(Photo Credit: Shaler Township Police)

Police say Check suffers from depression and other unspecified medical conditions.

His family has not been able to reach Check via cell phone.

Check also has family in Valencia and Freeport, and he has been known to travel through Kittanning.

Anyone who sees Check or has information on his whereabouts is asked to contact Shaler Township Police by calling (412) 473-3056.

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SHALER TOWNSHIP (KDKA) — A longtime Shaler Township fire chief has died.

The Shaler Villa Volunteer Fire Company said on their Facebook page Friday that George Butela passed away.

Butela joined Shaler Villa in 1958 and spent 34 years as fire chief to become the township’s longest running fire chief.

Funeral arrangements and further details have not yet been announced.

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – A woman that threatened to kill volunteer firefighters is now facing charges.

Police say that the woman first stopped at the Berkeley Hills Volunteer Fire Departement on Siebert Road in Ross Township where she is alleged to have called the firefighters “arsonists” and threatened to kill them.

Ross Township Police say that they are considering charging the woman with making terroristic threats.

Photo Credit: (KDKA)

Firefighters at the Berkeley Hills Fire Department confirmed the event, but declined to comment.

The woman then headed to the Bauerstown Fire Station in Shaler where she made more threats. This is where Shaler Police arrested the woman.

Authorities say they will charge the woman with harassment and disorderly conduct.

Bauerstown Firefighters declined to comment.

The identity of the woman has yet to be released.

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Severe weather and potholes are the only dangers on our roads and highways. It’s prime season for deer running out in front of vehicles and causing crashes, and the repairs could cost you a fortune.

Auto body shop owner Jeff Critchlow talks about repair costs.

“This is probably $7,500 worth of damage. This vehicle came in about a week ago, we started on it, waiting for parts, another $4,000,” he says of one of the vehicles he’s repairing after a collision with a deer.

Between mating and hunting season, and just a growth in the population, deer are hitting the road in record numbers.

(Photo Credit: KDKA)

Critchlow owns an auto body repair shop in Shaler Township. He says, at one time, about a fourth of his work came from deer damage, but now that is quickly approaching half of his business.

Critchlow: “Last month, we had over 15 to 16 cars, and well over $60,000 in claims of just deer loss damages.”
KDKA’s Brenda Waters: “And this month?”
Critchlow: “We’ve had about a half dozen non-drivables, and we’ve written probably 12-15 drivable cars that we’ve scheduled to come in.”

And with newer cars equipped with new technology, deer damage is getting more and more expensive.

“Your average deer hit, say five years ago, was $2,500 to $3,000. Now they range from $5,000 to $7,500,” said Critchlow.

Deer don’t seem to care if you are behind the wheel of a police vehicle, just ask Shaler Police Lt. Sean Frank.

“Last night, one of our officers was on patrol in the area in Shaler, a deer ran right out into the side of his vehicle. There was no way to avoid it,” said Lt. Frank.

AAA instructs us on how to drive in sleet, snow and rain, but how do drivers avoid deer?

AAA Spokesperson Jim Garrity gives this advice, “Want to make sure you are slowing down, scanning the road well ahead of where you are, making sure you are paying attention.”

Remember, the busiest times for deer are dawn and dusk.

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SHALER TOWNSHIP (KDKA) — Three people were injured in a two-vehicle crash in Shaler Township on Wednesday evening.

The crash happened around 7 p.m. at Route 8 and Spencer Lane, or Glenshaw Crossing.

(Photo Credit: NewsChopper 2/KDKA)

Authorities say one person suffered moderate to severe injuries. The other two people suffered minor injuries.

Shaler Police say the crash blocked a lane of Route 8, as well as the railroad tracks running alongside. But all traffic is now flowing again.

Shaler and Allegheny County Police are investigating.

Stay with KDKA for the latest on this developing story.

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SHALER TOWNSHIP (KDKA) — A woman was taken to the hospital after her car crashed into a garbage truck Wednesday morning in Shaler Township.

The crash happened just after 8 a.m. on Kleber Road, between Mt. Royal Boulevard and Butler Plank Road.

(Photo Credit: KDKA)

According to Shaler Township Police, the driver was headed east when her vehicle hit the truck.

Police say the woman was taken to St. Margaret’s Hospital for treatment. Her condition was not released.

Officials say they believe the angle of the morning sunshine may have caused the woman to crash.

Stay with KDKA for the latest on this developing story.

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SHALER TOWNSHIP (KDKA) – At least three cars were involved in an accident on Route 8 in Shaler Township on Tuesday.

Photo Courtesy Of Eric Climo.

Fall Run Road on Route 8 was shut down between East Pennview Street and Spencer Lane on Tuesday night, and remained that way into the early morning hours of Wednesday.

Photo Credit: Tim Lawson/KDKA

There were no reported injuries as a result of this crash.

But several utility poles came crashing down near the Harley-Davidson dealership.

TRAFFIC ALERT: Route 8 is still closed in both directions this morning in Glenshaw. A crash Tuesday night took down utility poles near the Harley-Davidson dealership. pic.twitter.com/zQ2BkLmEjL

— Rick Dayton (@rickdayton) February 20, 2019

Route 8 was closed while crews replace the utility poles and the traffic signals. However, Shaler Township Police said Wednesday morning that the road reopened around 5:15 a.m.